A few months ago I had an idea for the most upfront networking event you’ve ever attended. Today, I locked down the plan to make it happen.
The idea is simple. In addition to a normal name tag, each attendee has a special name tag with one of three prompts. “I’m passionate about___,” “I need help with____,” or “Ask me about____.” Fill in the blank however you see fit.
Conversation will flow easily. There’s always a meaningful topic right in front of your face. No need to interrogate someone to find out what they really want to talk about.
While it is a valuable skill to learn to talk to people without any prompts, it was also good that you started riding a bike with training wheels. Most people hate the thought of “networking” because it’s all small talk and never meaningful. This event is a way prove that notion wrong and show people that networking can be a great experience if it’s done right.
Unfortunately the event I’m helping to plan is only for entrepreneurship majors here at UD. I’m sad I can’t invite you all, but I’m thrilled to have to opportunity to see this idea in action. If successful, I look forward to implementing it on a broader scale.
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